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Rampant Transgression

59 Look! The hand of Yahweh is not too short to save,[a]
    and his ear is not too dull to hear.[b]
Rather, your iniquities have been barriers[c] between you and your God,
    and your sins have hidden his face from you, from hearing.
For your hands are defiled with blood,
    and your fingers with iniquity.
Your lips have spoken lies,
    your tongue speaks wickedness.
There is nobody who pleads with[d] justice,
    and there is nobody who judges with honesty.
They rely on nothing
    and speak vanity.
They conceive trouble
    and beget iniquity;
they hatch viper eggs,
    and they weave a spider web.
One who eats their eggs dies,
    and that which is pressed is hatched as a serpent.
Their webs cannot become clothing,
    and they cannot cover themselves with their works.
Their works are works of iniquity,
    and deeds[e] of violence are in their hands.
Their feet run to evil,
    and they hasten to shed innocent blood.
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
    devastation and destruction are in their highways.
They do not know the way of peace,
    and there is no justice in their firm paths.
They have made their paths crooked for themselves;
    everyone who walks[f] in it knows no peace.
Therefore justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We wait for light, but[g] look! there is darkness;
    for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
10 We grope like the blind along a wall,
    and we grope as without[h] eyes.
We stumble at noon as in the twilight;
    among the strong we are like the dead.
11 We all groan like bears,
    and we coo mutteringly like doves.
We wait for justice, but[i] there is none;
    for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our transgressions are numerous before you,
    and our sins testify[j] against us.
Indeed, our transgressions are with us,
    and we know our iniquities:
13 transgressing and denying Yahweh,
    and turning away from following[k] our God;
speaking oppression and falsehood,
    conceiving and uttering words of deception from the heart.
14 And justice is pushed back,
    and righteousness stands afar;
for truth stumbles in the public square,
    and straightforwardness is unable to enter,
15 and truth is missing,
    and he who turns aside from evil is plundered.
And Yahweh saw,
    and it was displeasing in his eyes that there was no justice
16 And he saw that there was no man,
    and he was appalled that there was no one who intercedes,
so[l] his arm came to assist him,
    and his righteousness was what[m] sustained him.
17 And he put on righteousness like a breastplate,
    and a helmet of salvation on his head,
and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
    and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a robe.
18 According to deeds, so he will repay;
    wrath to his enemies, requital to those who are his enemies.[n]
    He will repay requital to the coastlands.
19 So[o] they shall fear the name of Yahweh from the west,
    and his glory from the sunrise,
for he will come like a narrow stream;
    the wind of Yahweh drives it on.
20 “And a redeemer will come to Zion,
    to those in Jacob who turn away from transgression,”

declares[p] Yahweh.

21 “And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says Yahweh:

my spirit that is upon you,
    and my words that I have placed in your mouth
shall not depart from your mouth,
    or[q] from the mouths[r] of your children,[s]
    or[t] from the mouths[u] of your children’s children,”[v]
        says Yahweh, “from now on and forever.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 59:1 Literally “from saving”
  2. Isaiah 59:1 Literally “from hearing”
  3. Isaiah 59:2 Literally “dividers”
  4. Isaiah 59:4 Literally “calling in”
  5. Isaiah 59:6 Hebrew “deed”
  6. Isaiah 59:8 Literally “walking”
  7. Isaiah 59:9 Or “and”
  8. Isaiah 59:10 Literally “like there are no”
  9. Isaiah 59:11 Or “and”
  10. Isaiah 59:12 Or “answers”
  11. Isaiah 59:13 Literally “back from behind”
  12. Isaiah 59:16 Or “and”
  13. Isaiah 59:16 Literally “it”
  14. Isaiah 59:18 Literally “hostile”
  15. Isaiah 59:19 Or “And”
  16. Isaiah 59:20 Literally “declaration of”
  17. Isaiah 59:21 Or “and”
  18. Isaiah 59:21 Hebrew “mouth”
  19. Isaiah 59:21 Literally “offspring”
  20. Isaiah 59:21 Or “and”
  21. Isaiah 59:21 Hebrew “mouth”
  22. Isaiah 59:21 Literally “the offspring of your offspring”

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm(A) of the Lord is not too short(B) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.(C)
But your iniquities have separated(D)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.(E)
For your hands are stained with blood,(F)
    your fingers with guilt.(G)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(H)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
No one calls for justice;(I)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(J) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(K)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(L)
They hatch the eggs of vipers(M)
    and spin a spider’s web.(N)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(O)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence(P) are in their hands.
Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.(Q)
They pursue evil schemes;(R)
    acts of violence mark their ways.(S)
The way of peace they do not know;(T)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(U)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.(V)

So justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(W)
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(X) we grope along the wall,
    feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(Y) as if it were twilight;
    among the strong, we are like the dead.(Z)
11 We all growl like bears;
    we moan mournfully like doves.(AA)
We look for justice, but find none;
    for deliverance, but it is far away.

12 For our offenses(AB) are many in your sight,
    and our sins testify(AC) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
    and we acknowledge our iniquities:(AD)
13 rebellion(AE) and treachery against the Lord,
    turning our backs(AF) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(AG)
    uttering lies(AH) our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice(AI) is driven back,
    and righteousness(AJ) stands at a distance;
truth(AK) has stumbled in the streets,
    honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth(AL) is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.(AM)
16 He saw that there was no one,(AN)
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;(AO)
so his own arm achieved salvation(AP) for him,
    and his own righteousness(AQ) sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,(AR)
    and the helmet(AS) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments(AT) of vengeance(AU)
    and wrapped himself in zeal(AV) as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
    so will he repay(AW)
wrath to his enemies
    and retribution to his foes;
    he will repay the islands(AX) their due.
19 From the west,(AY) people will fear the name of the Lord,
    and from the rising of the sun,(AZ) they will revere his glory.(BA)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
    that the breath(BB) of the Lord drives along.[a]

20 “The Redeemer(BC) will come to Zion,(BD)
    to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”(BE)
declares the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant(BF) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,(BG) who is on you, will not depart from you,(BH) and my words that I have put in your mouth(BI) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight